Pipe, cigar and cigarette holder



July 14, 1964 M. M. SCHULTE 3,140,782

PIPE, CIGAR AND CIGARETTE HOLDER Filed May 4, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY July 14, 1 4 M. M. SCHULTE 3,140,732

PIPE, CIGAR AND CIGARETTE HOLDER Filed May 4, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Max M. ,S'chuite ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,140,782 PIPE, CIGAR AND CIGARETTE HOLDER Max M. Schulte, 672 Springfield Ave., Newark, NJ. Filed May 4, 1960, Ser. No. 26,909 4 Claims. (Cl. 211-60) This invention relates to a holder for retaining such smoking articles as pipes, cigars, cigarettes and the like, and more particularly is a novel, resilient body having a combination of opposed resilient members for retaining different smoking articles securely.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a relatively soft, shock absorbing holder for retaining and protecting fragile smoking articles such as pipes and cigars.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination of opposed, resilient members which cooperate to hold both the bowl and the stern of a pipe securely against displacement.

Still another object is to provide a combination of opposed resilient members capable of retaining two or more elongated smoking articles in parallel or at an angle to each other to avoid interference.

A further aim of the invention is to provide a holder for smoking articles and the like which can be mounted either upright or prone on any relatively flat surface.

The invention also aims to provide a pipe holder having a combination of opposed resilient members which substantially surround the stem and bowl of a pipe as well as any other elongated article to prevent displacement in any direction.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a resilient pocket which substantially surrounds the bowl of a pipe to prevent displacement in any direction.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safe, inexpensive holder into which one or more lit smoking articles may be readily inserted and removed.

These and other objects and details of the invention will be apparent from the description given hereinafter. For purposes of illustration and to more clearly describe the invention, reference is made to the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view illustrating a holder in accordance with one embodiment of my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the holder;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken at 3-3 in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken at 44 in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmented, side elevation in section taken at 5-5 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view slightly from the left front illustrating a pipe bowl retained in the upright position with the stem extending outwardly;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, with a cigar and pipe retained in one position by the holder;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view showing the holder in the prone position retaining the bowl of a pipe upright with the stem thereof retained by another set of opposed projecting members or arms.

Referring now to the drawing, the holder is illustrated in the form of a simulated Kangaroo sitting on its haunches with its chin, arms and legs extending outwardly in opposed, aligned relationship. The entire body 10 is made of rubber or other relatively soft, resilient, moldable material and may be solid or hollow as desired.

As illustrated in each of the figures, molded components form the haunched legs 12 and 14 which extend from the body 10 and are connected by the lower body extremity or member 16 to form a pocket or pouch for receiving and retaining the bowl of a pipe effectively, or any other article having a relatively spherical shape, although any shape article could be retained.

The inner surfaces 18 and 20 of the respective legs 12 and 14 are concave, as are the inner surfaces 22 and 24 of the member 16 and body 10, respectively. Thus, when the entire body 10 is resilient and yieldable, a pipe bowl such as the bowl 26 in FIGURES 6, 7 and 8, or other similarly shaped article may be inserted into the pouch by deflecting the legs 12 and 14 apart to the position shown by the broken lines in FIGURE 4, and distending the connecting member 16 and the inner surface 24 of the body 10 to the extent required.

Once the bowl 26 is within the pouch, the legs 12, 14 will retract toward their original position as will the surface 24 and the member 16, thereby confining and retaining the bowl 26 as shown in FIGURES 6, 7 and 8. Usually, unless a very large bowl or object is inserted into the pouch, only the legs 12 and 14 will deflect at their base which may be so designed as to yield and permit deflection slightly before either the member 16 or the surface 24 distends. As illustrated eifectively in FIGURES 1 and 7, the bases 12a and 14a of the legs 12 and 14, respectively, are relatively thin and are subjected to a bend ing moment of force whereas the relatively thicker, lower body portion at surface 24, and member 16 would be subjected primarily to distending tension. Thus, the member 16 whose under surface 28 could serve as a base for mounting on a relatively flat surface, would be relatively undisturbed during insertion and removal of the pipe bowl or other similarly shaped object, or even an elongated member.

It is apparent therefore, that such a relatively soft, resilient pouch with concave inner surfaces would effectively hold the bowl of a pipe against accidental displacement and at the same time act as a shock absorber in the event of impact or motion transmitted to the base 28. This not only would prevent damage to the bowl but would serve to lessen the tendency of loose ashes and tobacco to be thrown from the bowl. Thus, in the event the pipe bowl is filled and lit, the pipe may still be placed in the holder with a condition of greater safety existing. If the base 28 is placed on a horizontal surface the body 10 will be supported in the upright position as illustrated, and the bowl 26 will be in substantially the same position as the bowl 26 in FIGURE 7. Alternately, the base 28 may be mounted against a relatively vertical surface by suitable means such as pressure sensitive adhesives whereby the body 18 will be supported in the prone position, preferably with the legs and other members extending upwardly in a position similar to that illustrated in FIGURE 8. In this position, the bowl 26 is relatively upright whereby there is less likelihood of ashes or tobacco falling out. Nevertheless, the inconvenience and danger would be reduced due to the shock absorbing characteristics of the pouch described.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 5, the back 30 is shown relatively flat and substantially perpendicular to the base 28 whereby it also can serve as a base for upright mounting against a vertical surface, or prone mounting on a horizontal surface in a position similar to that illustrated in FIGURE 8. Further, with either the base 28 or the back 30 mounted on a horizontal surface, the other will extend substantially upright and provide a vertical support such as a book stop. Thus, as shown in FIGURE 2, the upright back 30 could provide such a vertical support, and, in FIGURE 8, the base 28 could also provide a similar vertical or upright support. Further, this construction permits placement in close quarters or corners since the back 30 will readily fit closely up against a wall or in a corner, while the base 28 rests on the adjacent floor surface. The converse is also true with the back 30 resting on a floor surface and the base 28 against a wall or in a corner.

Another advantage of the combination of the base 28 forming substantially a right hand angle or outside corner with the back 30 is that a pipe bowl 26 can always be positioned within the legs 12, 14 in the upright position to permit retention while lit, whether the holder is upright or prone against a vertical or horizontal surface.

In FIGURE 8, for example, the holder is shown prone resting on its back 30 with the bowl 26 retained upright. If desired, the base 28 could be mounted by suitable means against a relatively vertical surface to accomplish substantially the same result. On the other hand, if the holder is upright with its back 30 against a vertical surface, or with its base 28 resting on a horizontal surface as shown in FIGURE 6, the bowl 26 could still be retained in the upright position with the legs 12, 14 by having the stem 32 extend outwardly away from the body.

Members or arms 34 and 36 extend outwardly from the body in opposed relationship, slightly apart as illustrated. They may be deflected by spreading apart to the position shown by the broken lines in FIGURE 3 to receive the stem 32 of a pipe as shown in FIGURES 7 and 8, or any other relatively elongated article. The inner surfaces 38 and 40 of the arms 34 and 36, respectively, are preferably concave and curved as shown in FIGURE 3 to effectively grasp and retain such articles against displacement under even vibration, as woulld be the condition if the holder were mounted in a moving vehicle, such as an automobile. Further, the arms 34 and 36 are preferably formed with cradle-shaped upper surfaces 42 and 44, respectively, best illustrated in FIG- URE 2.

A head or other member 46 extends forwardly and upwardly from the back 30 and is formed with a curved under surface or chin 48 in opposed relationship to the upper surfaces 42 and 44, best illustrated in FIGURE 2. These three members or propections cooperate as shown in FIGURE 7 to substantially surround an elongated article such as the cigar 50 and resiliently retain it against displacement. It is apparent that the arms 34 and 36 can deflect downwardly and the chin 48 upwardly to permit ready insertion of the cigar 50 from either the front or side of the body 10. It is preferred that the size and resistance to deflection of these members be such that a cigar will be firmly held but not bent or unduly distorted. The advantage of this particular holding device is that there is a three point contact which distributes the retaining force over three points rather than two as is the case of a conventional clamp, and at the same time permits the clamping over a greater extent of the elongated member 50 to increase the holding power by reducing the extension of the member 50 outwardly beyond the holder whereby the inertia of motion imparted to such extension would operate on a shorter lever arm. It follows therefore, that the force or stress-strain relationship of deflection of these three members may be reduced but still be sufficient to retain a relatively good sized, fragile article such as the cigar 50.

FIGURE 7 illustrates the ability of this unique three point clamping action of arms 34 and 36, together with the chin 48 to retained the elongated articles at an angle to each other while still permitting ready insertion and removal. It is also possible that one or more elongated articles such as cigars may be retained between the arms 34 and 36, instead of the pipe stem 32, and also be retained, if so placed, with one end confined within the concave inner or upper surface 22 of the member 16.

As illustrated in FIGURE 7, it is preferred that the head 46 be of such shape and size, and be so placed, as to be slightly deflected by the other end of the elongated articles held between the arms 34 and 36. Further, as

4 illustrated in FIGURE 7, the chin 48 may also extend around the front part of one or more articles to retain them not only against the arms 34 and 36, but the body 10 as well.

It is therefore apparent that the holder has the advantage to serve more eflectively than a simple clamp since the members extending therefrom cooperate as discussed in a unique manner to provide multipoint grasping action, and to substantially surround the article retained. Consequently, the holder 10 may be mounted upright or prone, with the extended members facing up or down, on the base 28 or the back 30 to provide a maximum of flexibility in placement.

While it is preferred that the entire body 10 be formed of an integrally molded resilient material such as rubher, it is possible to accomplish certain objects of the invention by producing the main portion of the body 10 from relatively rigid materials such as pottery, plaster of Paris or ceramics, and have the members 12, 14, 34, 36 and 46 yieldably connected thereto. Alternately, these latter members could be formed from such relatively rigid materials and be yieldably connected to either a rigid or resilient body 10. These suggested structures are not illustrated since they are considered within the scope of the preferred embodiment.

For purposes of description and illustration, a holder simulating the form of a Kangaroo has been disclosed, although other objects and designs could be provided having similar projecting members and structures in general to accomplish the same objects, by those skilled in the art without departure from the essence and spirit of the invention which for that reason shall not be limited except by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A holder for smoking pipes comprising a base, a pair of opposed resilient members yieldably connected to said base for retaining the bowl of a pipe, a pair of opposed arms yieldably connected to said base in alignment with said members to retain the stern of the pipe, and a yieldable projection extending from said base in alignment with said members and arms and adapted to be deflected by thebit end of the stem of said pipe against the yielding action of the members and arms, for retaining said pipe more securely in said holder.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1, and the upper surface of said arms being curved to form a cradle on which another elongated smoking article and the like may be restrained by said projection.

3. The device as set forth in claim 1, and the under surface of said projection being curved to form a cradle in which another elongated smoking article and the like may be retained by said arms.

4. The device as set forth in claim 1, and the upper surface of said arms being curved to form a cradle with a curved under surface of said projection in which another elongated smoking article may be retained.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 110,885 Springer et al Aug. 16, 1938 83,281 Harbaugh Oct. 20, 1868 1,386,078 Schulze Aug. 2, 1921 1,474,733 Richards Nov. 20, 1923 1,759,398 Hart May 20, 1930 2,161,855 Copell June 13, 1939 2,528,173 Pinckney Oct. 31, 1950 2,796,068 Healy June 18, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 871,088 Germany Mar. 19, 1953 

1. A HOLDER FOR SMOKING PIPES COMPRISING A BASE, A PAIR OF OPPOSED RESILIENT MEMBERS YIELDABLY CONNECTED TO SAID BASE FOR RETAINING THE BOWL OF A PIPE, A PAIR OF OPPOSED ARMS YIELDABLY CONNECTED TO SAID BASE IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID MEMBERS TO RETAIN THE STEM OF THE PIPE, AND A YIELDABLE PROJECTION EXTENDING FROM SAID BASE IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID MEMBERS AND ARMS AND ADAPTED TO BE DEFLECTED BY THE BIT END OF THE STEM OF SAID PIPE AGAINST THE YIELD- 